wordfury will be getting a makeover

Like in those teen-movies where the plain girl takes off her glasses and lets down her ponytail and suddenly all the boys go, 'WOW WORDFURY, WE NEVER KNEW YOU WERE SO PRETTY.'

Wordfury then hisses at them for being shallow and objectifying her but also understands that to get taken seriously in today's Internet one has to present an interface that is easy to use and compliments the content so that it draws the reader in as well as ensuring repeat visits not to mention the importance of personal branding and la de dah dah business talk.

So yes, this corner of the internet is getting a serious do-over in the coming weeks. You'll barely recognise her, honestly, your jaw will drop and you'll exclaim OHMYHOWYOU'VEGROWN the way aunties you only see every Christmas do the year you turn fourteen and suddenly gain three foot in height and have coloured your hair for the first time. Be excited, it's gonna be shockin' gorgeous.

The reason behind this is that obviously I've been hobbling along through the Internet without taking it especially seriously for my writing or my career up until now - because I simply haven't had to. In fact, as a secondary school teacher in charge of a group of teenagers, it was probably a better idea to not really have any internet presence at all, for fear of them finding out anything about what I was at other than standing in front of them encouraging them to be expressive and creative as opposed to sticking bits of chewing-gum to members of the opposite sex and taking pictures of each other on their iPhones.

Times, however, have changed. I live in America. I am looking to get a job, like an adult. So, making this blog gorgeous is sort of part of the process. I'm presently sticking together a copy-writing portfolio and fancying up my resumé (this is what people in America call a C.V) and eyeing up some seriously awesome establishments. Some are so huge that I feel like writing a time-letter to thirteen year old Sarah saying 'GIRL YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHO YOU'LL BE SENDING YOUR C.V. TO SOMEDAY AND IT'S A REALISTIC CAREER OPTION, NO KIDDING' because seriously, I have to double-check my reality at least twice a day living in California. I hope being star-struck never wears off.

I will soon have a business card like an adult and a much, much prettier Wordfury. I am still interning at the very savage Litseen so click yourself over there and take a peek - and do listen to the weekly podcasts: they feature me and my lovely boss & mentor Evan Karp talking literary events in San Francisco. Our contrasting accents are worth the listen in the very least: I'm the machine-gun and he's the drawl.


I just thought I'd knock up a post to FORESHADOW THE CHANGE.


Rapid city lads best of luck, remember to throw us an aul follow on Instagram (click the banner on top of the page under the Wordfury sign that says Wordfury Elsewhere) to get an eyeful of San Francisco living,



This post was brought to you by the number 4 and the letter V


Party on

Griff

i live in san francisco now and it is very different

Strange to say, even after a fortnight living here. I've been Tweeting about it and waffling about it on my Facebook: but I think the time has come to start blogging regularly about what an interesting and different and wonderful town this is. Lots of people leave home and disappear across the world with nothing but a suitcase and a big hope: and I'm proud to have joined their ranks.

Four girls I knew well in college have done the same in the last year: Cait lives in Holland, Laura lives in London, Cathy lives in Japan and Sophie lives in Oman. I find this extremely strange. Two years ago we all huddled in the beer-garden of Bakers Corner in Deansgrange pretending we were going to concentrate and stay in and study tomorrow, while we knocked back gin like it wasn't going to give us the fear in the morning. 

So San Francisco has so much. So, so much. The most obvious so far have been the big massive hills, poetry nights, beautiful houses, micro-breweries, enormous portions, avocados, cantaloupes and lots of people who say 'Oh my God you're Irish that's adorable! That's so cute.' even if all I am doing is asking for a beer or trying to pay for a packet of Pretzel M&Ms (true story, they're absolutely unreal). Irishness is not cute. I have not moved across the world from a thatched cottage with the last sheckles from my pot o'gold in my back pocket. No, I am not wearing contact lenses (I know, right? That's the weirdest one) My hair is dyed red from a packet, it is not this colour because I am related to a Leprechaun. No, I'm not drunk right now. I'm delighted your great-aunt Jemima is from county Gahl-way or Donaygawl or Monagin, but no I probably don't know her. I know they mean well, the people who say these things, but I've never felt as fiercely defensive of my nationality in my life. Even when I lived in Holland, people just kind of didn't question Irishness in any way, or caricature us. I'm thinking of training myself into a Californain drawl just to avoid the inevitable customs-like-interview at the till in every shop I nip into. This is a multicultural city, beautifully so, but still, I feel a little like a sore thumb! It could be a cultural jet-lag, but the strange little culture clashes are so worth all of the amazing newness of living here. 

I feel like I'm solar-powered up to ninety by the gorgeous and balmy weather. The hills are making my legs strong. Avocados are making my skin good. C.B, the gorgeous lad, hasn't stopped smiling since I arrived and that makes me smile. Toothpaste is full of bleach here so my smile is extremely shiny now, so the pair of us are wandering around necks craned at all the gorgeousness of this town grinning bleachy smiles like lunatic tourists. 

But we're not tourists. We live in San Francisco now. 

If you'd like to follow my photographic journeys, give my photo-blog Tumblr a click. It's linked to my iPhone camera & Instagram, so as I see all these awesome things I snap them and they're automatically posted here. 

Wordfury PhotoBlog

Kissies, party on guys, more news soon,

Griff

american wake, as part of 100 poems in 100 days

i read poems on youtube apparently

(cliiick)

100 poems in 100 days

does that sound like an insane undertaking to you?

well you wouldn't be far wrong, my friend. we're halfway through now, give it an aul look

100 Poems in 100 Days

so i have this OTHER blog

called

THE BIRDS OUTSIDE MY WINDOW SAY HEY

it's about the birds that live in my parent's garden who apparently think it's totally socially acceptable to wake me up at dawn when i'm asleep/hungover. their names are joan and mary.

throw it an aul click there yeah? 

party on

s

Post on the Stinging Fly Blog

The Stinger put up a post on Facebook asking was anyone going to this conference that was on last week and would they like to do a blog post for them. I'd booked my ticket months before, because it sounded fascinating and terrifying. So I raised my hand and said I'd do it, and a few days later, here we are. Basically like. So here's a swishy link to the post. It was intense and difficult to write because what it is about was intense and difficult. But totally worth it.

Sarah Maria Griffin reflects on last week's RIA conference which asked 'Can Creative Writing Be Taught?'

I'll be doing a post for writing.ie about an O'Brien Press book launch next week too, if y'all and all are interested. It's been epic busy down in Griffin-Bevan towers since the last post I made, tonnes of gigs and all. Also I'm a teacher now. I'll do a gig-post soon, promise. 

party on

sarah griff

things i have lost (a little project begins)

this should really be called 'man i am so unemployed' instead of 'things i have lost'. or 'man i should really be doing my portfolio for my masters'


i made a little colourey inney list today of things i've lost. i've lost some pretty weird things in my day, and some pretty important things, as have we all. i think there's nothing i've lost that someone else hasn't lost before me. i just thought i'd stick up  the pictures of my little colour list sheet, because i think it's sort of pretty.
i'm going to stick it on my fridge. maybe i might send a copy to the buy and sell, in case somebody finds my red shirt, or every umbrella i ever bought

party on carebears and carebear cousins

installment 2 will arise from the depths in the next coupla days

pending my ability to fill out an arts council funding form without a nervous breakdown

xx